The Bladeborn: Birth of a Masterblade
by Noir Vaanes
Summary: My first fanfic attempt so I would appreciate reviews, this is just a story about some fictional characters I made up along with their experiences on the Sith planet of Korriban. Mainly an adventure with some fighting and maybe a light romance.
1. Chapter 1

Star Wars: The Old Republic

The Bladeborn: Birth of a Masterblade

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars: The Old Republic. That honor belongs to Bioware and LucasArts. However, I do own all the characters in this story. I will specify otherwise if I do not.

This is my first fanfic attempt, so there are likely some mistakes in here somewhere…..

Chapter 1

Korriban; Home world of the ancient Sith, but now a desolate tomb planet infested with deadly predators and the energies of the Dark Side of the Force. It was no surprise that the Sith had decided to put their training academy within these desolate wastes, it was survival of the fittest, plain and simple. The recruits would adapt or they would die. But nestled deep in the wastes was more than the packs of voracious tu'kata, swarms of venomous Pelko Bugs, or the ferocious and deadly terentateks. The Valley of the Dark Lords held promises of incredible treasures and the key to greater understanding of the Dark Side… if someone could survive the perils that surrounded them, that is. But our story begins in the Sith Academy, far from these hallowed and deadly tombs; it is a tale of trials, tribulations, and ultimately, victory.

The new Sith apprentice by the name of Alarick Nayl sat on the floor of his austere quarters, meditating. He was an imposing figure even at the age of 18, he was tall, reaching 6 foot 2 easily, and his muscular frame showed the results of a life with the Sith, hard muscle with the occasional white scar running over them, his black hair cut into an short, slightly spiky style, more for the convenience of almost no maintenance than any preference of style on his part. His newly constructed lightsaber lay on the floor in front of him as he hovered a few inches off the ground, his jade green eyes closed as he lost himself in the swirling energies of the Dark Side. After an hour of contemplation, he opened his eyes and slowly sank to the floor. He stood; grasping his lightsaber in his right hand and activated the brilliant crimson blade, proceeding to run through the latest sequences of Djem So he had learned from the Academy Blademaster that morning. But he couldn't seem to concentrate. That damnable humming from the blade of his new lightsaber disrupted his focus slightly. He was used to the practice sabers that were essentially metal rods with the heft and weight of true lightsabers to prepare the initiates for their true weapons. He glared down at the active saber in disgust.

"Damn thing….. I'll never get used to that humming. I wish I'd been allowed to keep the practice saber; at least THAT was quiet when you used it. Or one of those beautiful Sith Swords that decorate Blademaster Darut's quarters."

He sighed and finished his new sequence perfectly, just as he had that morning in front of Blademaster Darut. He repeated the sequence another two times, imagining opponents closing in on all sides, he struck with the fury and power expected of a Sith, his imagined opponents fell like cut wheat against the power and sheer fury of his assault. After three hours of continuous practice, the small room was filled with the stink of ozone from that blasted humming blade and the temperature was several degrees higher. He was sweating profusely, and was covered in a fine film of sweat. His breath was rapid and ragged, his Sith Tattoo-covered chest heaving from the exertions as he deactivated the lightsaber and threw it onto the bed.

Not a moment later, there was a rapid, insistent knock on the door. Alarick sighed; there was only one person that could be.

"Alright, alright! I'm coming! Stop that incessant knocking!"

As if to spite him, the knocking increased in intensity and volume. Alarick snarled a wordless growl and smashed a fist against a button on the door's control panel. The door flew open, revealing his guest, a lithe, slim and attractive woman of medium height and fair complexion with long red-gold hair and piercing, ice-blue eyes. She smiled, showing white teeth all in their correct position.

"I knew that would get you moving! You hate it when someone interrupts your blade practice!"

Alarick wasn't in the mood for this, however. He gave her his second-best intimidating glare and asked:

"What do you want Natasha?"

Natasha grinned again and pushed past him as if he wasn't even there, like she always did, entering the single room that made up his living quarters. She took her time looking around, even though there really wasn't much to see; just a bed, an armor stand holding his combat armor, a blade rack that was currently empty and a small closet that was mostly bare except for the three black Sith robes hung up there and the chest of drawers holding things like cargo pants and shirts, among other things. Alarick didn't know why she always did this; things hadn't changed in this room for a long time. His patience frayed and he asked a little more forcefully:

"Natasha! Why are you here?"

She turned around at the sound of her name and he noticed for the first time that she was wearing her light combat armor and double-bladed saber at her waist.

"I just thought you would want to know that members of the Bladeborn were visiting the academy today."

She smiled as she saw his eyes widen slightly.

"I knew that would get your attention." She said smugly. "Oh, and Masterblade Zareth will be accompanying them."

It took Alarick a moment to find his voice again. "The Blade born and a Masterblade? By the Force, that's never happened before!"

It was clear by Alarick's tone he was excited, he had read of the Bladeborn in the Academy library, they were an order of Sith Warrior that specialized in close combat. While that might not usually set them apart, they did not use lightsabers, they fought with Sith Swords instead; relishing the feel of the blade as it cut through the flesh and bone of the enemy, and reveled in the spray of warm blood on their face. Exactly what Alarick craved, face to face combat with the enemy, without those blasted lightsabers! He had to find out how to become one of them, and nothing was going to stand in his way. He marched over to the closet stripping out of the sweat stained clothing he was wearing and began to pull on the heavy ceramite combat armor that stood on the armor rack. He knew Natasha was watching but he didn't care, it wasn't like she hadn't seen him without clothes on before…..


	2. Chapter 2

Star Wars: The Old Republic

The Bladeborn: Birth of a Masterblade

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars: The Old Republic. That honor belongs to Bioware and LucasArts. However, I do own all the characters in this story. I will specify otherwise if I do not.

Chapter 2

Alarick and Natasha stood in the front row of the ranks of Sith initiates and apprentices that had gathered to welcome the members of the Bladeborn. Alarick was keen to see these legendary warriors with his own eyes and request that he be tested for inititation. Natasha had decided to join him in this endeavor. He didn't really care what she did but maybe it would nice to have some company through what was sure to be one hell of an ordeal.

The sound of a shuttle descending silenced the murmured conversations that had been going on through the ranks of trainees. Three hundred and seventy six pairs of eyes watched the Deathwind-class assault shuttle descend to settle on the landing pad in front of them. Of the Academy instructors, only Blademaster Darut was present, his bright red skin and facial protrusions clearly marking him as a Sith Pureblood, the black light combat armor and dual sabers hanging from his belt showing he was a warrior. His gold eyes watched the shuttle descend as well and he began walking forward as soon as the shuttle was on the ground.

The shuttles ramp slowly descended and five figures marched out, it was a colorful group, containing another Sith pureblood and two zabraks, one of the yellow skinned variety and the other the red skinned type, both with Sith Tattoos covering their faces. All three were male. The rest of the group was made up of humans, one male and female. The lead human was clearly Masterblade Zareth, judging from the Tremor Sword slung over his back, a middle-aged man with a fair skin tone and dark brown hair with streaks of silver in it, which made his golden eyes seem like they blazed with an inner fire. The only female member of the group was an interesting sight to say the least, she was roughly Natasha's height, around 5 foot 6 if Alarick had to guess and had golden hair and bright amber eyes. Alarick immediately saw she was second in command of this band of warriors, the number of battle scars on her armor and trophies adorning her belt made that perfectly clear. He could see Wookiee scalps and a Krayt Dragon fang to name a few. The warrior band marched out of their shuttle with an arrogance born of skill and earned respect, they approached the Blademaster and halted 20 paces back, Masterblade Zareth approached Darut alone.

Blademaster Darut waited for his fellow warrior to approach before offering the traditional Masterblade greeting, a firm arm clasp followed by a quick sparring session. The apprentices watched, amazed at the speed and skill of the combatants, only a few seconds had passed but already 20 blows had been exchanged, the dancing ruby lights of the Blademaster's lightsabers clashed with the gleaming silver blade of Zareth's Tremor Sword, which seemed to be everywhere at once. After a few minutes of blurred combat, the combatants stepped back, bowing. Apparently the greeting ritual was concluded and business got underway. The Masterblade turned to his followers and gave them their orders, Alarick and Natasha couldn't hear, as they were too far away, but as Darut and Zareth walked inside the academy they heard some heartening news.

Zareth looked angry as he spoke and they could hear the rage in the small snippet of the conversation that was audible.

"Dammit Darut, you do not understand! We are all that is left of the Bladeborn! I am the only remaining Masterblade and those four warriors are the only other members! We were almost utterly annihilated during the last offensive against the Republic, we were caught out in the open by a heavy artillery strike and are lucky to have that many remaining!" His voice was dangerous, like if he heard the wrong thing he would kill everyone there and damn the consequences. Zareth sighed before continuing, now somewhat subdued. "We are here to find new recruits."

Alarick and Natasha looked at each other out of the corner of their eyes; this was the chance they had been hoping for! Now all they had to do was not screw it up. As they silently communicated, they heard Daruth begin his reply.

"We have many fine young warriors here, but the decision to join is theirs. I cannot force them to join a sub-sect of the Sith."

All this time the four remaining members of the Bladeborn had been blatantly studying the assembled apprentices. Alarick had noticed that he and Natasha, along with one or two other students, had become the focus of attention. The Pureblood and blond haired woman in particular had taken special interest them. They had glanced to each other and nodded. Alarick hoped that was a good sign.

A short while later, Blademaster Darut approached the ordered ranks ofstudents and spoke.

"Apprentices! Pay attention! Our honored guests of the Bladeborn are here to seek new members for their order. Any present who wish to join step forward now. This is your only chance to join."

Alarick and Natasha didn't hesitate; they immediately stepped forwards out of the ranks. They were the only apprentices that seemed willing to take the chance and join; all the others suddenly found something very interesting to stare at in the distance. Zareth looked at the pair of them and nodded.

"We seem to have some recruits willing to be tested." Alaricks mind raced. Test? What test could they possibly have to pass this early? Zareth continued on: "We will need to see if you have the combat potential to become one of us. Kothe, Martek,test them."

The two zabraks nodded and drew their Sith Swords, walking slowly closer, the red skinned one headed for Alarick and the yellow one moved for Natasha. Alarick drew his saber and hit the activation stud, the scarlet blade popping into existence as he heard the dual sounds of Natasha doing the same with her doublesaber. The zabraks stopped a few feet away and circled, Alarick stopped paying attention to the other confrontation and focused on his opponent, from what he could easily see, the zabrak was a practitioner of Form II, Makashi, the dueling form. Alarick grinned, he knew he had the advantage since his brute strength and the power of Djem So would easily smash through the elegant precise strikes of his opponent. He stepped forward, launching an overhead smash down at his opponent as the zabrak brought his blade up into guard, stopping the blade with little trouble. Alarick felt a momentary flicker of nervousness; perhaps this wouldn't be as easy as he originally thought. Judging from the curse that came from beside him Natasha had reached the same conclusion.

Alarick decided that it was best to prove to Masterblade Zareth what he could do, he hammered blows against the zabrak's guard, pushing him back before the counterattack began, forcing him into a desperate retreat. He brought his saber up and parried a sweeping slash before crouching and slashing low to his opponent's legs. All he got for his trouble was a boot in the face and laughter from his opponent. Alarick could feel the rage and hate of this Bladeborn churning in his stomach. He stored it away, relishing the feel of it as he moved in again, landing a spin kick to his opponents jaw and sweeping his saber down in a left to right downward diagonal slash, his opponent jumped back and the blade merely carved a groove in his breastplate instead of bisecting him. He seemed surprised that a lowly apprentice could touch him and stopped toying with Alarick, launching a blisteringly fast stab with his sword for his chest. Alarick ducked and slammed a fist into the zabraks throat, causing him to stagger backwards before looking up and speaking.

"You may be able to land blows but a weakling fool like you will never defeat me, Kothe of the Bladeborn!"

With that Kothe abruptly switched to the chaotic Form VII, Juyo, known for its sheer ferocity and power. They hammered strikes and counter strikes towards each other, sparks flying when their blades met, silvered metal against ruby energy. Kothe continued his verbal and mental barrage against Alarick and it caused a new emotion to flicker into being; hate, hate for this fool who thought he was superior just because his opponent was an apprentice, hate towards that mocking smile he wore, hate towards the thought that if he lost, he would never be a Bladeborn!

As if Kothe could sense this new source of power he lunged in, sword poised for a killing blow, but Alarick wasn't there anymore, he had finally unleashed the pent-up rage and hatred and channeled it into his muscles, moving faster than the eye could see. Kothe staggered to a halt before his sword fell from nerveless fingers, he sank to his knees, eyes glassy before his head toppled off of his shoulders and his now headless body collapsed with a resounding crash. The head rolled behind the corpse where Alarick was standing after his lunging strike to Kothes neck. He picked the head up and looked at its features, slack in death before casually tossing it over his shoulder, where it rolled into the ranks of shocked apprentices. It was only then that Alarick thought of the consequences of this, he looked over at Zareth and was surprised to see not anger over the death of a Bladeborn, but approval. Alarick's other senses returned after his battle rage vanished and he noticed that Natasha and Martek were still fighting. Natasha's use of Soresu was wearing down her opponent, just like she had done to him whenever he couldn't end their sparring sessions early, the spinning dual blades were entrancing to watch as she put her defenses up again. Martek was visibly tiring, his strikes less crisp and precise than when the test had began and soon made a mistake. As he lunged and over extended, Natasha stepped in and brought the tip of one of the blades of her saber to his neck. Martek was surprised to say the least and was about to do something stupid before Zareth's voice rang out.

"Enough! That was an excellent display apprentices, but do not be too full of yourselves, those two are still novices in the ways of the Bladeborn. I am surprised that you were able to defeat them both." He turned to Alarick. "Or in your case kill your opponent." He smirked, "But in any case welcome to the Bladeborn! Your initiation will begin shortly but for now you need proper weapons. You, the male," He pointed at Alarick, "take the weapon of your opponent and use it well. As for you girl, we will find you a double-bladed sword in time."

Alarick and Natasha bowed their heads to their new leader and waited for orders. They were excited and pleased they had passed their first test but it was clear that they were in for a difficult ride. They had no idea how difficult it would actually be.


	3. Chapter 3

Star Wars: The Old Republic

The Bladeborn: Birth of a Masterblade

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars: The Old Republic. That honor belongs to Bioware and LucasArts. However, I do own all the characters in this story. I will specify otherwise if I do not.

The creative juices were flowing so this one's kind of long but I think it's the best one so far. Lots of good action.

Chapter 3

Several days later.

A few miles outside the academy there was a large open plain, used by the apprentices of the Academy as a place to practice combat tactics on a large scale. However, it also proved useful as a training ground for the Bladeborn away from prying eyes. This is where Alarick and Natasha had been taken after their test. They had been subjected to intense physical training, a level beyond even Blademaster Darut's training on a day where he was in a bad mood. They were both exhausted and panting; their levels of stamina and endurance were running lower than ever before. During one of their infrequent rests they finally had a chance to talk. Alarick turned to Natasha, who was lying on her back atop a large flat rock. He rested his palms on his knees and when he had finally caught his breath he voiced the question that had been burning in his mind.

"Natasha, how long do you think this will go on? We've more than earned our place in the Bladeborn. I killed my tester and you soundly defeated yours! When are we going to be inducted?"

She turned and looked at him: "I don't know, I thought we would have been members by now as well." She sighed lightly before continuing, "With any luck we-"She sat bolt upright, eyes focused on something behind Alarick, he turned and saw Masterblade Zareth approaching, flanked by the Sith Pureblood and human woman. He had learned that their names were Arek and Xera, respectively and they were incredibly dangerous warriors and insanely skilled with the blades slung over their backs. They approached and Zareth spoke in a quiet voice that demanded respect and obedience.

"You both have proven yourselves worthy to join our ranks. Follow and steel yourselves for the initiation."

Without another word he stalked off towards a valley in the distance. Alarick and Natasha exchanged a nervous glance; that was the Valley of the Dark Lords, a place that apprentices were discouraged from going; it was dangerous for a Sith Lord, and almost suicide for an apprentice to venture there. But they followed anyway, the promise of membership in the Bladeborn and knowledge of their ancient fighting styles were all the motivation they needed.

After a few hours of walking they reached the threshold of the Valley of the Dark Lords, the entrance was flanked by a pair of massive statues; their features long since lost to the ravages of erosion and time, though they still cast a sinister shadow and seemed to have a presence that belied their rundown state. They entered the Valley and headed straight for the first tomb they saw, the tomb of a minor Sith Lord from the Golden Age of the Sith. They entered and soon stood in the burial chamber, where the last member of the Bladeborn, Martek, waited. He bowed as he saw Zareth and spoke.

"Masterblade, all the preparations for the hopeful's initiation have been completed. We only await them." He looked behind Zareth, noting Alarick and Natasha's presence for the first time. "And I see they are here. Shall we begin then?"

Zareth nodded, then turned and spoke to the two hopefuls. "Sit on the ground in the center of the chamber." They immediately complied, settling into a meditation position, legs crossed underneath, and palms resting on their knees. Zareth moved behind them and unsheathed his Tremor Sword, a gleaming silver blade etched with black runes in the language of the Aincent Sith. "The first part of the initiation is to have the Mark of the Bladeborn carved into the flesh of the back of your neck. Now remain perfectly still." With that he pointed the tip of the Tremor Sword at the back of his neck and lowered it so that it pierced the skin and dug slightly into the muscle of his neck, just deep enough to leave a sca;, Zareth moved the blade in a quick pattern, soon withdrawing the blade from a bleeding mark cut into the back of his neck. He quickly performed the same process on Natasha before stepping back. On both of their neck was a mark, similar to the personal crest of Ajunta Pal, Ancient Sith Masterblade.

"That was only the first part. Now the true test begins. Arek, Xera, bring in the venom."

Alarick started to feel a bit uneasy. Venom? What could they possibly use that for? Even as he thought this he received an answer.

"This is Pelko Bug Venom. It will purify your body and mind with pure, cleansing pain when we anoint the Mark of the Bladeborn on your neck." Alarick and Natasha looked at each other, this sounded worse and worse by the minute. Xera circled behind Alarick, a small vial full of a thick, clear liquid held in her hands, Arek went behind Natasha, another vial clutched in his. Alarick and Natasha sat rigidly on the floor tense and waiting for it to begin. They both knew the effects of Pelko Bug Venom, the barbs on the academy training sabers were coated with it to simulate a lightsaber strike since it caused intense, blinding pain and paralysis. But if they were going to put it on the cuts on their necks, that would be even worse since it was so close to the spine. Alarick began to open his mouth to ask a question but Zareth had already nodded to Xera and Arek, who poured the contents of their vials directly onto the bleeding cut of the initiate sitting in front of them.

For a moment it actually felt good, the cool liquid resting on the back of his neck before the pain started to hit. It was subtle at first, but after a few moments it felt as if someone had poured boiling lead on the back of his neck and the feeling was spreading as his heart pumped it throughout his body, soon his arms, legs and torso burned with an inner fire. A shrill scream from beside him showed that Natasha's pain tolerance wasn't as high as his own and he could see out of the corner of his eye that she had fallen backwards and was now sprawled on the floor; eyes squeezed shut and her face showing an expression of pure pain. He was surprised to feel some protectiveness for her; he hadn't thought their time together at the Academy had affected him like that. But he soon had his own problems, the venom was absorbed into his spine and stars of pain exploded in front of his eyes, he struggled to remain conscious but the pain was too much; he collapsed next to Natasha who was out cold from pain overload and passed into unconsciousness.

One day later.

Alarick opened his eyes and saw the carved stone ceiling of the tomb. He sat up and held his head, the throbbing from behind his forehead soon subsided and he looked around the rest of the crypt, seeing no one else but Natasha curled into an unmoving ball beside him, her long golden red hair covering her face. He gently shook her, and she moaned slightly in pain before stirring, sitting up and brushing her hair out of her eyes. She looked up at him, her icy blue eyes still fuzzy with the lingering effects of the venom.

"A-Alarick? Wh-what happened?" Her voice was shaky, it was clear that she was still weak from the initiation.

Alarick pulled her to her feet and answered: "We survived, that's what. But they seem to have left us here. Alone." He spotted a datapad resting on the sarcophagus and picked it up, reading the text displayed on the screen. His grip tightened as he read: "Alarick and Natasha, if you are reading this congratulations, you survived the second part of the initiation. But the final part is the most important. You must venture deeper into the Valley and visit two of the ancient Sith Lord's tombs. I would suggest Marko Ragnos and Ajunta Pal." Alarick's grip finally became strong enough to cause the datapad to splinter and crack, he threw it against the wall and it exploded into pieces. Natasha watched the display with a look of concern on her face before speaking.

"Alarick? What was that about?"

He turned to look at her. "Our initiation is not complete; we must go to Ajunta Pal and Marko Ragnos's tombs."

She groaned. "Ugh…. How are we supposed to do that without weapons? It's not exactly the same as walking through the woods on Alderaan."

Alarick already had an answer. He hefted two swords in his hands, a single bladed Sith Sword that would sling across his back for him, and a long metal tube that contained two blades, one of which would extend from either side like a double lightsaber when a stud was pressed. Alarick looked over at Natasha.

"These certainly count as weapons." He tossed her the doublesword before continuing: "Let's go Natasha; we have a long hike ahead of us. We'll head for Pal's tomb first. It's closer." Natasha nodded her approval and they exited the tomb to stand once again in the Valley of the Dark Lords.

As they headed deeper into the valley they noticed subtle signs of life around them. From the obvious such as tu'kata skat to the subtle such as the tracks of a swarm of Pelko bugs in the sand. From up ahead there was a blur of motion, Alarick and Natasha halted, he unsheathing his blade and her extending the dual blades of her doublesword, both stepping into a ready stance not a moment too soon. A large pack of ten tu'kata soon surrounded the pair, their tough hides all different shades of black and grey, the only common features the spiky, bony growths on their heads, providing a defense and potential weapon, their razor sharp claws, long tails with a series of spikes of bone at the end, and burning red eyes, filled with malice and a feral intelligence. Alarick and Natasha stood back to back waiting for the hounds to stop posturing and attack.

The attack came moments later, a large male bounding out of the group heading straight for Alarick. He met the charge head on, several powerful strides bringing both Sith Warrior and Sith Hound into attack range. The hound lunged for his throat, its powerful, fang-filled jaws spread wide, ready to kill its prey; but Alarick had dove forward, rolling and coming up on a knee, his sword raised and sinking deep into the gut of the hound, cleaving a huge gash down the middle of its chest, blood and other organic material exploding out of the deep gash, as the hound crashed to the ground with a primal shriek of pain at the mortal wound. Alarick stood, covered in the stinking gore and faced the pack, letting out a feral cry of rage as he charged them.

Several members of the pack sent up answering cries of challenge and moved forward to meet him as two hounds, both small females, but still very deadly, circled around to flank him. Alarick noticed the flanking attack but paid little attention to it, focusing on the three hounds mounting a frontal assault. He stepped in, hurling one hound away with a force push, while slamming an armored boot into the maw of another, knocking it out of the attack temporarily as it crashed to the ground. With the last he launched a powerful rage-fueled Djem So sweep from right to left, neatly bisecting its head, sending the lifeless body crashing to the ground in a heap. Alarick quickly spun to meet the attack he had foreseen, the two small females pounced as one, one going for his stomach, and the other his throat. His hand shot out and grabbed the tu'kata going for his throat in a strong grip while he plunged the blade of his Sith sword into the back of the other, the Sith Alchemically treated blade easily piercing its thick hide and pinning it to the ground, he swiftly withdrew the blade and stabbed it in the neck, quickly ending its life before turning his full attention to the writhing hound in his grip, its claws scratching at the thick armor plates covering his chest. HE simply squeezed and with a loud *pop* the hound was still, its spine severed between the fourth and fifth vertebrae. He dropped its dead weight without another thought, its carcass smacking into the ground with a dead *thud* and turned his attention to the two remaining assailants, both large males that attacked from opposite sides with a fierce, brutal, yet coordinated attack. One slammed into his legs as the other rammed into his chest plate with both paws out, sending Alarick crashing to the ground with a 300 pound, voracious Sith hound on top of him. He calmly grabbed its head and pushed it back, forcing its slavering jaws away from his vulnerable neck and sent 500 volts of electricity in the form of Force Lightning through its brain and skull. The hound dropped to one side, eyes, ears, and nostrils emitting acrid smoke as he stood and saw the last hound, a female, had retreated from this greater predator of the Valley. Alarick turned to see how Natasha was faring, but still keeping his guard up, the alpha male and female had so far hung back, and they were the most dangerous, no sense in dropping his guard while they were still around.

Natasha's spinning twin blades had taken a toll on her opponents, a large male and female whose hides were dotted with dozens of cuts both shallow and deep, and were covered in their own blood from the wounds. They were obviously tiring and were making mistakes, similar to what Martek had done back in their fight at the Academy. The male lunged in going for her legs and Natasha made her move, stabbing one of her blades through its skull, swiftly ending its life before sweeping her blades low and chopping the fore legs of the female off at its knees, then with another swipe, this time with the opposite blade, she decapitated the hound, its head rolling to a stop a few inches from her foot. She looked over at him and grinned cheerfully.

"Only the alpha pair left now. And hopefully I can avoid the bloodbath that you got, huh?"

Alarick merely grunted and turned his full attention back to the alpha pair as they made their move, the male making a beeline straight for Alarick, and the female springing off of a rocky ledge to try and pin Natasha under its weight. Alarick could see that the male easily weighed over 600 pounds, and it was all muscle, bone, fangs, and surprisingly, brains. This male wasn't stupid; it had seen the demise of its pack mates and was smart enough not to repeat them. It lunged forward but pulled back at the last second, instead of trying to bite, it swept one of its taloned paws at him, all five claws as sharp as Alaricks sword. Alarick met its paw with his sword, severing several of the hound's toes and reducing its offensive capabilities. The tu'kata acted as if it didn't feel pain, instead it swept around and smashed its powerful tail against Alarick's legs, the spikes of bone snapping off against the hardened ceramite and metal of his armor, but the force of the blow was enough to stagger him. The hound tried to take advantage of this and lunged for a killing blow to the neck, but was repulsed with a quick slash to its face that ruined its left eye. The hound shook its head and bellowed in rage before retreating several steps, as if afraid of this new opponent that could kill so many of his underlings and wound him, the strongest of the pack. Alarick grinned and stepped forward two steps for every one the tu'kata took back and let out a primal scream of rage and bloodlust, empowered with the Dark Side of the Force in a technique known, quite sensibly, as Force Scream. The shockwave of his voice slammed into the tu'kata and sent it crashing backwards. It got up and quickly followed the retreating female from before, vanishing around the bend of the path. Alarick smiled and swept his sword down, the blood flying off and leaving it spotlessly clean. He heard Natasha laughing and the crackling of Force Lightning behind him and he turned to look.

Natasha was giggling hysterically as she sent another dose of Force Lightning at the Alpha Female who had Natasha's double sword buried up to the hilt in its shoulder. She was aiming the current of energy at the sword, using it as a lightning rod to funnel all the energy into the body of the hound, bypassing its normally resistant hide. The female's body was covered in scrathes and a long deep wound down its side from the slash Natasha had delivered before the blade had become jammed in the shoulder blade of the hound. The alpha female let out a long keening wail of pain that made the two warriors hair stand on end before it collapsed, the life leaving its eyes as it grew still. Natasha turned to Alarick, her chest and arms now splattered with blood as well.

"That was fun. We should have gone to this valley a long time ago."

Alarick smirked and answered: "The tu'kata are only one of the many dangers here, there are the terentateks, vicious monsters that hunt Force-sensitive's, and the swarms of Pelko Bugs, among others."

"Oh, those sound even better! But for now, help me get my sword out of this carcass, its stuck." She was heaving and pulling, but the double sword was stuck fast in the shoulder of the dead tu'kata.

Alarick sighed and sheathed his sword, coming up behind Natasha to grab the sword as well and heaved; unfortunately, the sword remained stuck in the shoulder blade of the corpse, so Alarick and Natasha both grabbed it with both hands and heaved, the blade finally slipping loose. Natasha turned to face him and he could see something else in her eyes than her usual playfulness. She grinned shyly before speaking: "You know, they say the strongest bonds are forged in combat….." With that she jumped on him, wrapping her slender arms around his neck and roughly pressing her lips against his. Alarick's eyes widened in shock, this had been the exact last thing he had expected. He and Natasha had certainly had their share of….. intimate moments together but those had just been casual. Hadn't they?

Natasha's leap had caught him off guard, and without a chance to brace himself, he toppled backwards, her on top of him still clinging tightly around his neck. He hit the ground with a thud raising a small cloud of dust around the two of them. Natasha hadn't broken away the entire time and Alarick was surprised to find his arms encircling her waist and torso and was pulling her tightly against himself. But then the small rational part of his brain started screaming at him that this was definitely NOT the time for this. He put a hand on Natasha's chest and pushed her back, breaking the kiss. She looked at him in confusion.

"Why'd you stop? Don't you want this?"

"More than you know, but this is hardly the time to do this. Look around; we're in the Valley of the Dark Lords. We can discuss this when we get back to the academy.

He noticed she looked slightly disappointed, so he added: "And finish this of course."

She grinned at that and gave him a light kiss on the cheek before getting off of him and helping him up to his feet.

"I'd like that. Now come on, I want this damn initiation over with so we can continue this discussion. Preferably in your quarters." She said that with a sly grin on her face as she brushed past him, sweeping her long bangs out of her face and walking with a slight sway of her slim hips that Alarick was sure that she hadn't had before the tu'kata had attacked. He sighed and shook his head, wondering why he had to be stuck with her of all people. Natasha was a beautiful woman, there was no doubt about that, but she was also a distraction. Even now his eyes were following her as she walked off down the path. He shook his head clear of those thoughts and followed her, knowing that this was going to be a tough test of his willpower.


End file.
